Talking Stars

The younger girl shows more interest once Mizuki puts on a nicer face and takes a step forward. Her father places his hands warily on both her shoulders to ensure she doesn't run out of the house, but Mizuki thinks he's worried about letting his sick daughter speak to a stranger. "My name's Nara," she replies and she flashes a toothy grin.

Mizuki can tell the initial meekness sprung only from the wariness that comes with meeting a new person for the first in a long time.

"Are you Chichi's friend?" Nara smiles, and it's the most gentle ever.

"No, no. I came to speak to him for work," Mizuki clarifies, and she is then hit with the obvious epiphany that she doesn't know how to drag this conversation for much longer.

Even if she were to dilly-dally for long, there's no way she could simply invite herself into the house and try to fix a problem that she has no involvement with.